Repairs to begin next week on Sharpes Ferry Bridge

In this file photo, the northwest reataining wall of the Sharpes Ferry Bridge collapsed over night Monday June 25, 2012 after Tropical Storm Debby dropped many inches of rain on Florida Sunday and over night Monday.

Published: Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 5:52 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 5:52 p.m.

Work will soon begin on the one casualty of the nearly uneventful 2012 hurricane season.

On Jan. 28, crews will begin repairing the section of a failed retaining wall along the Sharpes Ferry Bridge.

A 250-foot-long piece of the wall collapsed last June after Tropical Storm Debby blew through.

While the bridge itself was not damaged, the state still closed that portion of County Road 314 to traffic for nearly six weeks for safety reasons.

Florida Department of Transportation officials recently announced that local motorists who endured more than a year of snaking around that closed section of CR 314 while the bridge was being built will face another months-long travel slowdown.

CR 314 will remain open over the next few weeks while the initial work on the bridge is under way, but it will be narrowed to a single lane, FDOT spokesman Steve Olson said.

Then, Olson added, there is a “high probability” that the bridge will be closed again as the contractor emerges from the first phase.

Olson said it was unknown at this point how long the bridge might be closed once the fix reaches that stage.

In announcing the work, FDOT officials had said the project is expected to run into the summer.

Olson noted that taxpayers will not be on the hook for the repairs, which include fixing the damaged retaining wall, reinforcing the remaining sections and upgrading the drainage system.

Houston-based Orion Marine Group, the contractor that built the bridge, and C3TS, the South Florida engineering firm that designed it, will hash out the costs, Olson said.

The wall's collapse occurred less than three months after the $8.2 million bridge had opened to traffic.

The new bridge had replaced the 86-year-old iron truss span that had served motorists for decades.

The previous bridge was reinstalled alongside the new one and now serves as a pedestrian crossing over the Ocklawaha River.

Olson said the cause of the collapse was still unknown. FDOT officials and the contractors are still working on a report about the reason for the failure.

<p>Work will soon begin on the one casualty of the nearly uneventful 2012 hurricane season.</p><p>On Jan. 28, crews will begin repairing the section of a failed retaining wall along the Sharpes Ferry Bridge.</p><p>A 250-foot-long piece of the wall collapsed last June after Tropical Storm Debby blew through.</p><p>While the bridge itself was not damaged, the state still closed that portion of County Road 314 to traffic for nearly six weeks for safety reasons.</p><p>Florida Department of Transportation officials recently announced that local motorists who endured more than a year of snaking around that closed section of CR 314 while the bridge was being built will face another months-long travel slowdown.</p><p>CR 314 will remain open over the next few weeks while the initial work on the bridge is under way, but it will be narrowed to a single lane, FDOT spokesman Steve Olson said.</p><p>Then, Olson added, there is a “high probability” that the bridge will be closed again as the contractor emerges from the first phase.</p><p>Olson said it was unknown at this point how long the bridge might be closed once the fix reaches that stage.</p><p>In announcing the work, FDOT officials had said the project is expected to run into the summer.</p><p>Olson noted that taxpayers will not be on the hook for the repairs, which include fixing the damaged retaining wall, reinforcing the remaining sections and upgrading the drainage system.</p><p>Houston-based Orion Marine Group, the contractor that built the bridge, and C3TS, the South Florida engineering firm that designed it, will hash out the costs, Olson said.</p><p>The wall's collapse occurred less than three months after the $8.2 million bridge had opened to traffic.</p><p>The new bridge had replaced the 86-year-old iron truss span that had served motorists for decades.</p><p>The previous bridge was reinstalled alongside the new one and now serves as a pedestrian crossing over the Ocklawaha River.</p><p>Olson said the cause of the collapse was still unknown. FDOT officials and the contractors are still working on a report about the reason for the failure.</p><p><i>Contact Bill Thompson at 867-4117 or bill.thompson@starbanner.com.</i></p>